India, Oct. 13 -- Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Rao Narendra Singh on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of systematically weakening the Right to Information (RTI) Act, calling it a "direct attack on democracy and transparency". Speaking at a press conference in Gurugram to mark the 20th anniversary of the RTI Act's implementation, Rao alleged that the "RTI law, one of the most powerful tools for citizens, had been diluted for political convenience."

"The RTI Act, implemented under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2005, empowered ordinary citizens to seek information from any government department," Rao said. "However, after 2014, the BJP government amended it ...